Migrants to Italy are Up Almost 18 Percent

As reported by Reuters news agency, Italy’s Interior Ministry said 65,000 migrants have arrived in Italy so far this year, up almost 18 percent over the same period last year. Since the European Union and Turkey agreed to shut down boat migrants setting off for Greece last year, Italy is Europe’s main entry point for refugees and migrants. A record 181,000 migrants arrived on Italy’s shores last year. People smugglers, who operate with impunity in Libya, cram migrants onto unseaworthy boats and send them toward international waters 15 miles off the coast where so-called humanitarian ships come to their aid. The ships then transport the people across the Mediterranean Sea to Italy.